By Barb Bergman
My daughter Erica graduated from BYU in 2023 and got a job at a charter school in her field of Communication Disorders. She worked with young kids as a speech pathologist and helped them one on one with their speech. Although she loves children (initially her major was elementary education) after several months working there developed a discontent feeling. Erica felt stuck in the path she had chosen, knowing to make more money and potentially a bigger impact she would need to get her master’s degree. We would often have conversations and I would be excited to hear her stories. I told her how proud I was of her and what an impact she was making in these kids’ lives. Erica has some hearing loss in one of her ears so she is particularly sensitive and passionate about the kids making progress. But something shifted after about 6 months in this new job and role. Was it no longer being in college, a new daily routine? I saw my daughter lose some of her zest for life- she felt stuck and didn’t know why. As Erica talked with a couple of friends and a mentor from a previous summer job she felt a nudge, a whispering in her ear to look on LinkedIn and put out some feelers for a different job. I heard excitement in Erica’s voice as we talked about what she was up to the next few weeks. Some interviews happened. A couple of offers. The energy had shifted from stagnant to motion. There was some hesitation as it came down to two companies and two different products – SALES!?! I was so surprised. Dandy lined up with her passion and values. She was excited, nervous and had a lot to learn but said she felt alive, energized. That summer job she previously had 2 years ago was being an appointment setter for a solar company. She went through a summer roller coaster of learning, emotions and stress – so many tears. All to never be repeated -EVER she said.
Erica decided to give up something for now that was not appreciated or desired, but had taken sacrifice to receive/take a chance on/make room for something better. She gave notice to the school she was working at and made the commitment to start at the company DANDY. They provide imaging machines to dental offices and have labs that then require a minimum usage for 3 months (hoping the relationship will continue) in exchange for these state of the art imaging machines. Erica would start at the bottom and work her way up. That would look like setting up appointments with the dentist or qualified assistant and one of the Dandy sales reps with the opportunity to climb up the sales chain fairly quickly if producing and progressing well.
So far in 5 months Erica has gotten a small promotion and always exceeded her quota- set up the appointment and the appointment turns in to a sale (base salary guaranteed and high promotional pay after that). April 2024 she was in training so no expectation although one sale happened. May quota 3 – she got 11 sales! June quota 5 – 7 sales. July quota 8 – 14 sales. August quota 8 – 16 sales! September (in progress) already exceeding her quota. Erica enjoys her co-worker interactions, and loves visiting with people in the different dental offices. The other job she had a supervisor she visited with a few minutes in the morning and sometimes at the end of the day, otherwise it was appointment after appointment with different kids wondering if she made a difference and feeling isolated with rotating students all day. She had guilt and other emotions giving notice to the job at the school to make space for a new opportunity.
Erica is happy and fulfilled and even moved from Provo to be closer to her job in Lehi and be a part of a new social circle a bit outside of the college circle. She sold her contract in Provo, moved home for 6 weeks and then when she felt she found the right apt signed a new contract – again creating a vacuum to be filled with what she hopes will be “something better”.
- Amazing Connections Lead Us On Our Path - December 5, 2023
- Will I Ever Get In?? - December 5, 2023
- Unseen Help In Star Valley Wyoming - December 5, 2023
